Ten people were arrested as immigration officers swooped on Croydon last week following a crackdown on illegal workers.

Home Office immigration enforcement officers visited three shops in London Road, Croydon, on Thursday May 9.

Two men were arrested at Savemore Foods at 11.25am.

A 57-year-old Sri Lankan man who was a failed asylum seeker and a 56-year-old Pakistani man who entered the country illegally.

Both tried to escape but were caught by officers.

At 12.35pm the team then arrested a 21-year-old Afghan man at Croydon Halal Meat and Grocery store.

A 23-year-old Afghan was arrested at the final location, Perfect Halal Meat, for entering the country illegally. He also tried to escape but was caught.

Later that day officers visited CFC Butchers on London Road and Chicken Palace on Portland Place, South Norwood.

At Chicken Palace they arrested three Pakistani men aged 23, 25 and 33 for overstaying their visas.

Three men were arrested at CFC. They included a 45-year-old Pakistani who had overstayed his visa, and an Iraqi, 25, and Afghan, 23, who had both entered the country illegally.

Steps are now underway to remove those arrested out of the country.

All the businesses, apart from Croydon Halal Meat & Grocery, were served notices warning they could face a penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.

Jill Smith, Head of the Home Office Immigration Enforcement team in South London, said: “These arrests show that we will not hesitate to take action against people who are in the UK illegally.

“The message is clear. We will find you and you will be removed from the country.

“Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, undermining legitimate businesses and taking jobs from those who are genuinely allowed to work.

“While we are happy to work with businesses to let them know what checks need to be done on staff, those who do break the law should know that we are out there looking for them and they will face heavy fines.”